Hat-shaping apparatus



L. STEVENS.

HAT SHAPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1917.

Patented Oct; 4, 1921. A

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

INV NTOR. M 4/ 144 1;. ATTORNEY.

L. STEVENS.

HAT SHAPING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 14, 1917.

Patented Oct- 4, 1921.

2 SHEElS-SHEET 1.

WITNESSES: PM K aw UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE."

LESLIE STEVENS, OF GLEN RIDGE, NEW JERSEY.

HAT-SHAPING APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 4, 1921.

Application flledSeptember 14, 1917. Serial No. 191,371.

new and useful Improvements in Hat-Shaping Apparatus, fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawings, forming a part of the same.

This invention relates to apparatus for shaping hats. The invention has been made especially with the idea of providing an apparatus for blocking fiber or palm hats, such as Panama, Bangkok and Porto Rican hats, and the invention aims to rovide apparatus whereby hats of this kind may be blocked or shaped rapidly and without harm to the exposed surface thereof and with which the blocking or other shaping of hats may be do'neas well if not better than with the commonly used and relatively slow and expensive methods of hand shaping. The invention is not, however, limited in its use to the blocking or shapingv of hats of this kind, but is useful for blocking and other shaping of hats of various other materials.

Fiber, palm and straw hats cannot be blocked or shaped between coacting rigid die faces without injury to'the appearance of the hat, resulting from the crushing of the surface of the fabric through the contact and pressure of the die faces. Such pressing contact of rigid dies is also harmful to various other hat materials causing spotting, glazing, mirroring, or otherwise injuring the surface of the material. One of the objects of the present invention is to rovide a shaping apparatus which will e ect' the desired shaping of thehats without mar ring the appearance of exposed surface portions thereof. This result is secured by so constructing the shaping apparatus that the hat is shaped without having any rigid pressing or die faces come into contact with the principal outer or exposed portions of the material, and an important feature of the invention lies in the provision of a shap-- i'ng member of flexible or yielding material for coacting with a rigid shapin form to shape the hat material thereagainst, such flexible shaping member being most desirably made of canvas or other suitable porous as well as flexible sheet material, so that when the hat material is pressed thereby against a heated form or die steam and vapor from the moistened material will be free to escape and rapid drying will result.

It is also desirable in blocking hat bodies of fiber and other materials that the material be stretched or pulled out overt-he form. In hand blocking, the hat bodies are so stretched or pulled over the form, and it is largely on this account that hand blocked hats are so much better than the ordinary machine blocked hats. There is special difficulty in securin this pulling or stretching action when bloc ing a hat body made with a finished ed e as is the case with Panama, Bangkok an other fiber or palm bodies, since the whole of the body remains in the finished hat and there is no excess or waste portion at the edge which can be gripped by ordinary gripping devices. The present invention aims to and does rovide an apparatus whereby the material of the hat body being shaped is given the desired outward stretch or pull, and which operates equally well on a body havin no excess edge portion to be discarded a ter the hat is blocked as it does on a body having such excess port-ion. I

The invention also includes other features contributing to the successful operation of the apparatus and economy and simplicity of its construction, all as hereinafter set forth and described and specifically pointed out in the claims. A full understanding of the invention canbest be given b a detailed description of apparatus embo ying' the invention in an approved form, and such a description will now be given in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 ,is a perspective new of a hat blocking or shaping machine embodying the invention, a small part of the frame being broken away; I

Fig. 2 is a central vertical sectional view on a larger scale of the upper portion 'of the machine shown in Fig. 1 the sol d lines showing the device in operative pos1t1on and sides of which are secured frames 12 and 13.

ally mounted on the cross-bar 18.

The table 11, as will appear more fully hereinafter, serves as a support for the lower die or shaping, member and the heating means therefor. For supporting the upper shaping member or means, thereis provided a cross-head 14 which is carried by two vertical sliding rods 15, the cross-head being mounted so as to be vertically adjustable on the rods 15, as by being mounted between nuts 16 and 17 threaded on the *upper portion of each of the rods 15. The rods 15 are secured at their lower ends to a horizontal cross bar 18 extending through a vertical slot 19 in the pedestal 10. The cross-bar 18, the rods 15 andthe cross-head 14, together with the parts carried by the cross-head, are normally held in their raised position by means of springs 20, and are moved downwardly against the tension of the springs 20 by means of a pedal" 21 which is pivotally connected, as by links 22, to spacedarms 23 pivotally mounted on a horizontal shaft 24 which is supported at its ends in the side frames-12, 13, the free end of the arms 23 being pivotally connected to arms 25 pi xl'pthe springs 20,- as shown, are connected at their a lower ends to projections 26 on opposite sides of the pedal 21, and at their upper ends they are connected to the underside of the table 11, the projections 26 being arranged forwardly of the ivot 27 of the pedal 21 so as to exert a tendency to raise the latter and through it"the cross-bar 18. A hand lever 29 Is also provided by which the cross-head may be lowered, but which is especially intended for applying {greater power to the cross-head at thejjend 0 its downward movementand for lockin it after it has been given its full downwar movement. This hand lever is secured to'a horizontal shaft 30 mounted in a bearing on the base of the pedestal, which shaft is provided with an arm 31 to which is pivotally connected a link 32 which is pivotconnected at its opposite end to the all pedal 21. This construction provides a tog- 'gle between shaft 30 and the da'l 21 which is straightened out so as to owe the pedal downwardly when the lever 29 is'thrown. forwardly and downwardl and the parts its dead center position and the tendency of the springs 21) is then to hold the device locked inposition, further movement of the toggle being prevented as by engagement of a projection 31' on the arm 31 with the pedestal 10. 'By upward movement of the lever 29 from its lowest position, the toggle is broken so that the springs may again act to lift the pedal and the upper member of the press.

The general construction of the press with its operating pedal and hand lever and connections, as above described, is old and initself forms no part of the present invention.

The shaping or die member against which the hat body or material is shaped, and which I in the machine shown is the lower shaping member, will be shaped according to the shape to be given to the hat or the hat brim or crown, and might be of any suitable construction for coiiperating with other parts .of the apparatus. The invention includes, however, features relating to the construction and mounting of this shaping member which are most desirably used and'which are embodied in the construction shown. In the apparatus shown, which is adapted forshaping the crown and brim of a complete hat, the lower shaping member is a two-part form comprising an imperforate metal crown form 34 and an imperforate metal brim form 35, both of these forms being su ported by a hollow metallic member 36. he crown form 3% as shown is hollowed out, and the supporting member 36' is provided with an upwardly extending hollow tapered portion or dome 37 arranged to project into and provide a seat for the crown form. In order to economize in the use of material and also to save labor in fitting the crown form to the supporting member 36, the crown form ma be provided with inwardly extending ribs or lands 38 shaped to engage the sides of the dome 37 when the form is in position. The brim form rests upon a flat supporting face 39 of the su port 36 and is held in proper relation to the crown form by its engagement with the upwardly extending portion'of the support, and its inner portion serves as a support for the lower edge of the crown form. The forms shown are suitable for blocking a'hat of a shape ,commonly used for Panama hats, but forms of other shapes may obviously be substituted for either or both of those shown, the use of separate crown and brim forms making it possible to block hats to a great variety of shapes without requiring a complete hat form for each change in shape or proportion of crown or brim. The support 36 15 made hollow so as to provide an internal chamber 40 extending upwardlyinto the crown part 37 of the support andlater-,

ally in the brim part of the support, to receive, as by a pipe or other conduit 41, steam.

no i

or other heating fluid. With this construction, the member 36.not only serves to support the crown and brim forms in proper position i the press, but it also serves when steam or other heating fluid is admitted thereto as a ineans for heating both these forms. The member 36 may-be secured to the table 11 by any suitable fastening means, such as the'bolts 42. a

The upper shaping member or means, hung from the cross-head 14, includes an annular flexible brim shaping member 43 formed of a sheet of flexible material secured at its outer edge to a carrying ring 44 formed most desirably of upper and lower ring members secured together, as by means of screws, as indicated in the drawings, and between which the peripheral portion of the sheet of flexible material is secured. For

securing all the advantages-of this feature of the invention, the sheet material of which the "annular flexible member is formed should be porous, and should be flexible not only transversely to its plane but also in its plane, that is, as it may be termed, universally flexible, and should have a yielding friction surface. Ordinary canvas of a suitable weight and strength meets these conditions and is the best material that I found for the purpose. It is sufiicientlyporous to permit the free escape of steam andvapor for securing'rapid drying of moistened hat fabric on a heated form, it has sufiicient universal flexibility to accommodate itself to shaping forms or dies of various shapes or configurations when strained thereagainst by the downward movement of the means by which it is carried, and has a surface which when it is stretched outward over the form while bearing againstthe hat material on the form will suflicientlygri thematerial to effect the desired outwar pulling. or

stretching of the hat Imaterial over the form without spoiling its surface appearance.

The carrying ring44 of the flexible member 43 in the construction shown is support- .ed from the cross-head by vertical rods 46 which extend upward through radial slots 47 in the cross-head, the upper'ends of the p rods being threaded and being secured to the cross-head by means of nuts 48 and 49 which provide means for adjusting the rods andthc shaping member 43 vertically with relation tothe cross-head,and for holding the same in proper adjustment. The carrying ring 44 is of a size to pass outside of and clear-of the brim form 35. The flexible shaping member 43 is cut away in the center or made of annular form so that it may pass down around the crown form and the band ring hereinafter described, and its inner periphery is most desirably of such size and shape as to fit closely about said hand ring, and when formed of canvas or other universally flexible and slightly extensible ma:

terial, it is provided at its inner .edge with reinforcing means, such as a non-extensible strand 50 of wire or other suitable material around which the fabric forming-the member 43 is secured.

For stretching the material over the crown form and forming the head band, or sharply bending the material at the juncture ,of the crown and brim portions of the hat, a band ring 51 is provided hung from the crosshead 14 by rods 52 arranged to move vertically in slots 47 of the cross-head. Springs 53 interposed between the cross-head and a guide member 54 restin on the band ring tend to hold the hand r ng and the rods 52 in their lowermost posltions, downward movement of the rods and of the band ring being limited, as b nuts 55 on'the upper ends of the rods. he guide/member 54 is held in place on the hand ring b the rods 52 and springs 53 and has latera ly extending portions fitting for vertical sliding movement on two'of the rods 46, to thereby hold the hand ring against lateral disof the hat body but whichis most desirably equal only to something less than the normal thickness of the material of the hat body, so that when the hand ring is moved downward about the crown form with a bodypositioned on the form, the material of the body will be engaged by the edge of the hand ring somewhat before the band ring reaches its lowermost osition' and will by the further downward movement of the hand ring be pulled or stretched downward somewhat over the. crown form and forced tightly into the angl'ebetween the crown and brim form. The lower edge or end of the band ring is made narrow so thatonly a narrow portion of the brim ortion of the hat directly adjacent the band will be engaged by it. The band ring is most desirably extended upward as shown to serve as a shield ;for protecting the crown of a hat being blocked against being soiled. It is desirable in order to avoid marring the surface of the hat crown and in order to permit free escape of steam and vapor from the moi'stened material when the hat is being shaped on a heated form, that the inner face of the hand ring thus'upwardly extended shall-not come in contact with the hat material except at and close to the band angle. hen the crown form is substantially inclined inward and upward, as in the case with .the form shown in the drawings, the inner walls of the band ring may be formed parallel or even somewhat inwardly inclined, but for operating with crown forms having sides substantially parallel or only very Slightly inclined, it is desirable to form the interior walls of the hand ring outwardly and upwardly inclined, or slightly flaring, as shown.

In shaping hats of woven material, and especially Panama and other hats which have a distinctly marked crown or tip center, it is very desirable that the hat body Shall be shaped with such woven center accurately positioned. In order to insure such accurate positioning of the woven center in the finished hat and to avoid displacement of the body in shaping it on the form or die in my apparatus or any similar apparatus, I provide means for first clamping the tip center of the hat body to the crown form before the body is pulled over and shaped on theform. Such means in the construction shown in Figs. 1 and 2 consists of a small clamping piece 56 carried by a short rod 57 extending vertically through an opening in the guide member 54 and pressed downward from the guide member by a spring 58, its downward movement being limited by a s'top 59. The length of the rod 57 is such that when the cross-head 47 is moved downward the clamping piece or head 56 will come into operative position to clamp the tip of the hat body to the crown die before the band ring reaches its operative position. In addition to serving its purpose as a clamping device, the clamping piece or head 56 also acts to flatten out the extra thickness or bunch of material at the center of the crown tip.

The parts above described are so arranged and adjusted that on downward movement of the cross-head, the clamp 57 first engages the center of the hat. After this the hand ber 43 come successively into operation, the

spring 58 yielding to permit further downward movement of the band ring when the clamping piece 56 is in operative position and the springs 53 yielding to permit further downward movement of the cross-head and brim forming member after the band ring has reached operative position.

The tip clamping piece need not, of course, be of the small form shown in Figs. 1 and 2 for engaging only the tip center, although in shaping a crown with a plain tip portion this is desirable in order to avoid unnecessary contact of any clamping means with the hat material. When the tip of the hat is to be formed with a recess, as in case of hats having telesooped tips or creased tips, the clamping piece is desirably formed as a tip block or plate shaped according to the desired shape of the crown tip so that the telescoped or creased hat will be completely blocked or shaped with the one operation of the press. Such clamping pieces are illustrated by Figs. 4 and 5, Fig. 4 showing a clamping piece 56 in the form of a tip block or plate for cooperatingwith a telescope tip crown form 34 for shaping the hat with a telescope tip, and Fig. 5 showing a clamping piece 56 formed for cooperating with a crown form 34: having a creased, or longitudinally recessed, tip. The telescoping clamping piece 56 might of. course be cut away as indicated by dotted line a in Fig. 4 so as not to make contact with the whole tip portion of the hat body, but merely to press the material down into the annular groove of the crown form and also,

most desirably, to press againstv the extra thickness or bunch of material at the tipcenter in order to flatten the same. S0 also, the creasing clamping piece 56" might be cut away as indicated by dotted line b so as to make contact with the material only at the bottom of the crease.

In shaping or blocking :1 Panama hat, for

its tip center properly centered on the crown form. The cross-head 14 is then lowered sufliciently to cause the clamping piece 56 to clamp the tip of the body against the crown form. Then before the clamping ring 51 is moved farther down into operative position, the hat body is pulled out properly over the crown form, and the cross-head is then further lowered to cause the clamping ring to move downward to draw the body smoothly down over the crown form stretching it tight against the surface of the form and finally clamping the material of the hat body against the brim form at the line of juncture of the crown and. brim parts of the body, thereb forming the desired sharp bend at the ban Then before the flexible brim-pressing member 43 is brought into operation by further downward movement of the cross-head, the brim portion of the hat body is pulled out over the brim form by the operator or operators as may be necessary, and when the brim is in suitable position, the cross-head is given its further and final downward movement by which the flexible brim pressing and stretching member is drawn downward to the position shown by full lines in Fig. 2to press the brim and pull it out smoothly and tightly against theheated brim form. The action of .this flexible brim pressing device is not merely to press the brim smoothly against the brim form or die, but it also acts,-as it is itself subjected to the pullor strain of the last of the downward movement of its holding ring 44, to pull and stretch the material of the hat brim slightly outward over the brim form. This final pulling action, or

. the toggle 3132 moved by the hand lever 29 will have passed the dead center to lock the ress in its closed position so that the block- ,mg or shaping devices will then remain in position to hold the hat clamped and pressed against the die. \Vhen so held. the hat body will dry out rapidly since the outer surface of the crown is exposed to the air circulating within the band ring and practically all of the brim is covered merely by the porous flexible pressing member 43. \Vhen sufliciently dried, which will ordinarily be after only a few minutes, the cross-head may be raised,and the blocked and dried hat removed from the press. As the crown, except for the small portion engaged by the clamping piece 56 and a narrow portion at the band, and the brim, except for the small portion adjacent the base of the crown which is engaged by the edge of the band ring 51, have not been engaged by any rigid member or part, their outer surfaces will not have been flattened or otherwise damaged.

The operation of blocking a hat with my apparatus as above described may with most shapes of dies be performed readily and quickly by a single operator, and the whole operation may be carried through much more quickly ,and with results equally as good, if not better, than with the old methods of hand blocking.

It will be understood that the invention is not limited to the exact construction and combination of parts shown and to which the foregoing description has been largely confined, but that it includes changes and modifications thereof within the claims, and that parts and features of the invention as claimed may be used independently of other features shown in -'other combinations.

WVhat is claimed is:

1. In a shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and'means formoving one of said memberstoward and from the other, of a form carried by one ofsa'id supporting members, and shaping means carried by the other supportin member comprising both a shaping mem r of flexible and porous material and means for tensioning said shaping member over said form to stretch thereon the material being shaped. 4

2. In a shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means Ormoving one of said members toward and from the other, of a form carried by one of said supporting members, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising an annular shaping member formed of flexible sheet material and having a substantially inextensible inner edge and means engaging the outer edge of said shaping member and operating to pull said member outwardly over said form to shape ,thereon the material being shaped.

3. In a shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a form carried by one of said supporting members, means for heating said form, and sh'aping means carried by the other supporting member comprising a shaping member formed of flexible and porous sheet material and means for tensioning the flexible and porous material over the form to shape thereon the material being shaped.

4. In a hat shapingmachine, the combination with a'press having opposed sup; porting members and means for'moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a brim form carried by one of said supporting members, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising asheet of flexible material andmeans caused by the approaching movement between said supporting members to tension said sheet over the brim form toshape the hat material thereon.

5. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a brim form carried by one of said supporting members, and. shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising a flexible member for cooperating with the brim form having a friction surface adapted to engage and grip the hat material on the brim form and means for causing said member to pull the hat material outward on the form. 1

6. In ahat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supportwhereby the sheet is pulled outward over the brim form to stretch the hat material outward on the form.

7 In a hat sha. ing machine, the combination with a press aving opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a brim form carried by one .of said supporting members, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising means for moving one of porting members in fixed relation to each other, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising a. band ring for stretchin the hat material over the crown part of sai form and means mounted to come into operation after said band ring to stretch the brim portion of the hat material outwardly over the brim part of said form.

9. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a hat shaping form comprising a crown part and a brim part carried by one of said supporting members, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising a clamping member for pressing the tip of a hat body against the crown part of said form, a band ring mounted to come intooperation after said clamping member to stretch the hat material over the crown pant of said form, and means mounted. to come into operation after sald band ring to stretch the brim portion of the hat material over the brim part of said form.

10. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a form carried by one of said supporting members, said form having an indented tip portion, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising means for shaping the hat body against said form.

and a clampin member for indenting the tip of the hat' ody and pressing the same against said form to shape the tip andhold the hat body in position for the shaping operation. 7

11 In a'hat shaping'machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a hat shaping form carried by one ofsaid supporting members comprising a crown part and a brim part in fixed relation to each other, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising a yieldingly mounted clamping member for pressing the ti of the hat body against the crown art 0 said form, crown shaping means or stretching the crown portion of the hat body over'the crown part of the form, and brim shaping means for stretching the brim portion of the hat body over member being mounted to come into operation ahead of said crown shaping means.

12. In a hat shaping machine, .the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a hat shaping form carried by-one of said supporting members'and comprising a'crown part and a brim part in fixed relation to each other, means controlled by the movement-ofthe movable supporting member for stretching the crown portion of a hat body over the crown part of said form, said means being formed to engage the hat body only at and near the band ortion thereof, and means for stretching t e brim portion of the hat body outwardly over the brim part of said form after the crown portion has been stretched.

13. In a hat shaping machine, the combination witha. press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a hat shaping form carried by one of said supporting members and comprising a crown part and a brim part, means controlled by the movement of the movable supporting member for stretching the crown portion of the hat .body over the crown part of said form, said means being formed to engage the hat body only at and near the band portion thereof, and brim shaping means comprising an annular shaping member formed of flexible sheet material'gand means for pulling said member against the brim part of said form and outwardly to stretch thebrim portion of the hat 'body against the brild part of said form.

14. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other,

of a hat shaping form carried by one of said supporting members and comprising a crown part and a brim part, and shaping means carried by the other supporting memberthe brim partof said form, said clamping away therefrom except at the band, and

brim shaping means comprising an annular shaping member of porous flexible sheet material extending outward from the band ring and a carrier to which the outer edge of said member is secured and by whichthe outer edge of said member is forced downward to stretch the brim portion of the hat body against the brim art of said form, said band ring being yieFdingly mounted to come into operation before said brim shaping means.

15. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supportingmembers and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a hat shaping form carried by one of said supporting members and having a continuous surface comprising a crown part and a brim part meeting at an angle, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising means for forcing the hat material into the angle at the juncture of the crown and brim parts of the form and clamping it against the form along the l ne of the apex of said angle of juncture, a brim shaping member of flexible sheet material, and a carrier to which the edge of said brim-shaping member is secured and whereby said member is stretched outwardly over the brim part of the form to press the hat materi'al against said brim part.

16. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward and from the other, of a hat shaping form carried by one of said supporting members comprising a crown part and a brim part, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member comprising means for forcing the hat material against the form at the line of juncture of the brim and crown parts thereof, a brim shaping member of flexible sheet material, and a carrier to which the edge of said brim-shaping member is secured and whereby said member is stretched outwardly over thebrim part of the form to press the hat material against said brim part, said brim shaping member and carrier being mounted to come into operation after said forcing means.

17. Hat shaping apparatus, comprising coacting shaping members, and means for causing a relative approaching movement between said members, one of said members comprising a brim form and heating means therefor, and the other of said members comprising a sheet of porous flexible material and carrying means therefor whereby by the approaching movement between said members said sheet of flexible material is pulled over said brim form to press and stretch the hat material thereagainst.

18. Shaping apparatus, comprising a form, means ,for heating said form, a shaping member for coacting'with said form formed of flexible woven vsheet fabric, and means for causing an approaching movement between said form and sa d shaping member and for stretching said member over said form.

19. Apparatus for shaping hats, comprising a brim form, means for coacting with said brim form comprising an annular band between said form and said ring, said shaping member being formed to resist the outward pull thereon over the form caused by such relative movement between the form and said ring, whereby said shaping member is by such relative movement caused'to press and stretch the hat material against the form.

21, Hat shaping apparatus, comprising a brim form having an arched shaping face, means for heating said form, shaping means for cooperating with said form comprising a sheet of porous flexible material adapted to bear against the material on the form and a carrier to which said sheet is secured, and means for causing a relative approaching movement between said form and said carrier whereby the sheet is pulled against the form to press and stretch the hat material thereagainst.

22. Hat shaping apparatus, comprising in combination a hat shaping form having a crown part and a brim part, means for stretching the crown portion of a hat body on the crown part of said form by engagement with the band portion of the hat body, and means formed to frictionally engage the outer surface of the brim portion of the hat body to press the same against and stretch it outward on the brim part of said form after the crown portion of the hat body has been stretched.

23. Hat shaping, apparatus, comprising in combination a hat shaping form having, a crown part and a brim part, a band ring for engaging the band portion of a hat body to form the band angle and hold the crown'- portion of the hat body stretched on the crown part of said form, an annular brim shaping member formed of flexible sheet material, a carrier for said member to whichthe outer edge thereof is secured, means for causing a relative approaching movement between said form and said hand ring and carrier: and for bringing the band ring into operative position before the carrier brings the flexible shaping member into 0' ration.

24. at shaping apparatus, comprising incombination a hat shaping for-m comprise ing a' crown part and a brim part, a clam ing member for pressing the tip of a hat brim form, means for clamping the hat Inaterial adjacent one edge of the brim form,

,a shaping member formed of flexible sheet material, and a member movable relatively to the brim'form to stretch said shaping member over the brim form in the direction awa from said clamping means to shape the at material thereon.

26. Apparatus for shaping hats, comprising a brim form, means for clamping the hat material adjacent'the inner edge of the brim form, a shaping member formed of flexible sheet material, and a carrying and tensioning member to which the outer edge of said shaping member is connected for moving said member toward and tensioning it over said brim form.

- '27. The combination with a brim form having a transversely curved shaping face, of a cooperating annular flexible shaping member having a broad operating face to bear against material placed on the form to be shaped, and means for causing a relative approaching movement between said form' and said shaping member to press and stretch the material to be shaped against the form. 1

28, The combination with a brim form, of means for cooperating therewith to shape a hat brim thereon comprising an annular band of porous flexible sheet material, and a carrier to which the outer edge of said band is secured and by which it may be tensioned 'over said form.

29, The combination of a crown form support havin upwardly extending side walls, means for eating said support, and a hollow crown form having on its inner side walls inwardly-extending ribs whose edges" are formed to contact with the side walls of the su ort to receive heat therefrom;

30. e combination of a hat form support havin a central upwardly extending portion an a surrounding laterally extending portion, means for heating the support,

and a hat form comprising a brim sha ing part formed to seat on and receive heat rom I .the laterally extending portion of the suport and a' hollow crown shaping part havm its side walls armed to contact with the si e walls of the upwardly extending portion of the support to receive heat therefrom. i

" 31. The combination of a hat form sup- I port havin 'a central upwardly extending portion an a surrounding laterally extending portion, means for heating the support, a bum form seated on the laterally extending portion of the support and having heat conducting contact therewith, and a separate hollow crown form seated on the upwardly extending portion of the support and having its side walls formed to contact with the side walls of said portion of the support to receive heat therefrom.

32. The combination of a hat form support having'a central upwardly extending portion and a surrounding laterally extending portion, means for heating the support, a bum form seated on the laterally extendcon ucting contact therewith, and a separate inggiortion of the support and having heathollow crown form having its bottom edge formed to contact with the brim form and its side walls formed to contact with the side walls of the upwardly extending portion of the support to receive heat therefrom.

33. The combination of a hat form support having a central upwardly extending portion and a surrounding laterallycxtnding portion and formed with a chamber for receiving a heating fluid to heat both its upwardly extending portion and its laterally extending portion, and a hat form comprising a brnn shaping part formed to seat on and receive heat from the laterally extending portion of the support,- and a hollow crown shaping part having its side walls formed to contact with the side walls of the upwardly extending ortion of the support to receive heat there rom. ,34. In a hat shaping machine, the combination with a press having opposed supporting members and means for moving one of said members toward an from the other, of a crown form support carried by one of said supporting members having upwa dlyextending heat-transmitting form-sup orting side walls, means for heating said support, and shaping means carried by the other supporting member for shaping a hat crown on a crown form seated on 'saidcrown form support.

35. In a hat shapin machine, the combination with a press vin opposed supporting members and means or moving one of said members toward and from the other of a hat form support carried by one of said supporting members having a central upwardl extending portion and a surrounding laterally extending ortion, means for heat-. ing the support, a brim form seated on the laterally extended portion of the support carried by the other supporting member of the press comprising crown shaping means for engaging the band portion of a hat body' on the crown form, and brim shaping means for stretching the brim portion of the hat body on the brim form.

36. A shaping member for coacting with a brim shaping form, said member being formed of an annular band of flexible and 10 porous woven fabric having a tension resisting inner edge and having a carrying ring secured to its outer edge.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two subscribing Witnesses.

LESLIE STEVENS. 

